Arkansas

By Reed Tucker

Photo credit: Gilles Mingasson / Getty

There's nothing more authentically American than loading up the car with stuff from Wal-Mart  even if most of it is made in China. The retail giant ranks first in the Fortune Global 500, and its more than 4,100 stores have taken over the U.S. like kudzu. Love it or hate it, you can't deny its power, and the one place to get the whole Wal-Mart story is in the company's original five-and-dime store on Bentonville's Main Street. (Yep, it's actually called Main Street.) The first Wal-Mart houses a collection of memorabilia, ads and photographs from the company's history, as well as founder Sam Walton's office and his old, red pickup truck. Whether there's a greeter at the door is unclear. Admission: free